Dance of the Lunar Blood
by Aiko Isari
Summary: 01 AU ageswap, sequel to Light of the Sun. A blade of flames, a gentle laugh, who stands before these friends? The wolf, or the lamb? And does she want to be saved? Does she want to save anyone? What of the destiny of these Chosen Children? Spoilers for Light.
1. 1-1

**_A/N:_ **Hey guys, sequel to Light of the Sun! Thanks for all the support so far! Please put this on alert as at least for a while I will not be able to provide daily updates. Too much school and this week was absolutely horrid for various reasons. Anyway, moving right along, please check out my other stories too!

So... that said, warning for violence, cursing, blood, some symbolism (probably?), and a whole lot of dead things and a very unusual (and possibly unrealistic) case of MPD.

Don't kill me guys.

All right, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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1-1

The girl before them is light in a sense that hell is on the other side of her hands. She cradles the scythe like a lover or a precious life, and smiles, so sweet and innocent and blood-dark. There is no hunger in her face, all pure joy curves and blood that smells like ashes.

She is the Light, she is the scouring Light that conquers them.

Hikari watches VenomVamdemon roar and smiles. "Hungry, aren't you?" She strokes the scythe. "Starving beast. What should we do with you?"

The flames shiver up her arms and legs and rip into her jacket sleeves, smoldering the rest of the violet flames and turning them to nothing and baring her arms and the blood staining the back of her ruined jacket.

"Well?"

Taichi watches his sister turn to look at him, at them, but there is nothing that looks familiar in that smile, in that happy expression.

"Well, what?" Yamato says, expression furrowing. "Are you Hikari? Or what?"

She smiles, all mischief and joy. "I don't want to answer that," she replies. "Besides, aren't there better things to worry about? There's still a prophecy to fulfill after all."

"Hikari," Ofanimon croaks. "Come... come down..."

Her voice is weak, a puppy's whimpers after a smack on the nose. Hikari seems unmoved, but her voice softens. "You don't have to protect me anymore, Ofanimon. It's time to rest."

Ofanimon struggles anyway. "No…"

Hikari smiles. "You're so cute… but you really don't get it." She opens her mouth to continue, then pauses, expression quizzical, as though something had come to her attention. "I guess I shouldn't say it. Who knows what could happen then?"

She tilts her head just so, and Ofanimon slumps. Her metallic shoulders shake and imitate the motion of sobs.

Though saying the words would be too much, Sora realizes they all know what the floating girl in front of Ofanimon is saying.

Hikari doesn't need Tailmon anymore.


	2. 1-2

_**A/N:** _Thanks for the perfect reaction, you guys! Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! Also, wow this got popular fast. You guys are great.

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1-2

"Are you Vamdemon?" Wizarmon says suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that in any other situation would have been broken with a scream or a shout of rage. There is too much shock there and a lot of it is in the way Ofanimon simply crumbles in Angemon's arms.

"The hell?" Agumon snaps at him, because the Digimon all seem to understand that this is bad timing and not okay at all. Wizarmon raises his hands defensively but Hikari only shrugs.

"It's a good question though," she says, still hanging there. "I mean, Vamdemon would have just cut you down if there was a good I haven't done that, so… does that answer your question?"

"No," the mage says firmly. "I'm a curious man, so pardon me but I do feel if he had a reason, Vamdemon would wait and slaughter when their guard was down."

Hikari laughs. "No, he wouldn't. He's too hasty for that, see?" She looks at VenomVamdemon's rampage. "You all better stop him quick or everyone is going to die, our mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, everyone and you."

She pauses and flips herself. "So look at that prophecy and figure out what to do."

"What are you going to do?"

Hikari stops mid-flight and looks down at Takeru. "Pardon, Takeru-kun?"

Yamato moves to pull him back but Takeru steps closer and says. "Hikari-chan is trying to be alone. Why is that?"

Hikari caresses the blade of the scythe with one bloodless finger. "Why not?"

Takeru shakes his head. "I don't know but… if we're going to fight… please help us fight too, Hikari-chan. One more time, okay? Please. You can leave after but… please help us."

For a moment the air is silent. Even VenomVamdemon is not moving, or perhaps they can't hear him.

Then the girl giggles. "I suppose one last dance won't hurt."

She's gone a second later and the scythe is pulling her up and slicing down.

"Takeru…" Sora says softly. "Why did you do that?"

Takeru's shoulders shake. "I don't know," he whimpers. "I don't know." His knees buckle and Sora catches him.

Not for the first time, she sees Yamato raise his hand and fail to reach out. And for the first time, she realizes how much it hurts to watch.


	3. 1-3

_**A/N:** _Hey guys... *peeks in* Sorry for the delay... I meant to update over last week but I volunteered to work... and I was not feeling well until a couple days ago so yeah... Anyway, this one is short, I'm better now and I'm going to try and get back into the updating swing of things again!

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1-3

They are quiet, but for Takeru's quiet sobs and the creaks of Ofanimon's broken limbs and shifting face movements. Then, Koushiro looks back at his laptop screen and types, his expression thoughtful and scared. "The prophecy… we're fulfilling it…" He stops and looks at Takeru. "Takeru-kun, what propelled you to speak to her?"

Takeru shrugs, pulling himself away from Sora's grasp. "I just… I wanted… I wanted to know what she wanted to do… if she wanted to be with that guy or anything. I didn't think she did, I wanted to believe she did because… all she talked about forever… was us. I wanted to know if she still thought that way…."

_I just wanted to hope she still loved us all._

Takeru is too young, too distraught, to put that to words but he doesn't really need to.

"When the angel of light is tempered by the spirit of rekindled hope," Koushiro murmurs. Then he looks up. "Well, she's certainly fighting him… but nothing is happening." The girl is weaving, dodging large claws and strikes and lasers, one of which singes her hair and she laughs.

"Koushiro," his mother says, her voice so quiet Sora can't help but think of a baby bird. "Can we take a look?"

Koushiro flushes and steps back, letting them look. They are all a little high-strung and Sora waits to ask why when there's still fire blooming in the air from each scythe slash… fire… Hikari is creating fire…

"Oh…" Mimi says, and they all look at her. Her eyes are wide and she is putting her hand over her mouth. But there is realization there and for a moment, the other only looks back, frightened. "Hikari-chan has to attack _us_. That's the end of the prophecy."


	4. 1-4

_**A/N:** _Hey guys, look what I have! I'm happy that everybody is enjoying so far and I hope everyone continues to! Enjoy and please let me know what you think! Also thank you, new people who have favorited and followed this! I love your support! Here we go!

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1-4

At her words, all hell almost breaks loose, and it's just enough that Mimi cringes away, like the thought is not just too horrible for her to bear, but too horrible to bear thinking about for too long. Koushiro, of course, is utterly fascinated at what that implies and sets to work on deciphering the rest, murmuring and typing so rapidly it even catches his parents off guard.

Sora is a little relieved. This is Koushiro at his best, fighting on a technical battlefield. It's good that he can keep his cool, even if it might hurt his family. "What is it, Koushiro-kun?"

"I think Mimi-san is onto something," he said in a soft rush of words, looking at the prophecy again. "The angel of cursed life is tempered… Takeru-kun, you managed to get her to help us before… you… didn't control her but you did reach out to her."

"So Takeru is the key to this," Yamato says as he peers over Koushiro's fluff of red hair. His voice is hoarse, like he had been screaming through smoke. "But that doesn't-"

"Please hold on a moment," Koushiro interrupts, quiet but with a hint of impatience. "When the angel of cursed light is tempered by the spirit of rekindled hope, the flame will create a miracle for the ones they love…. angel… you were close Mimi-san, I think. Ofanimon?"

There is a creak as the angel's frozen face turns towards him. He doesn't cringe, but says, in a slow, almost gentle voice. "Could you… perhaps… throw your fire at us?"

His parents instantly look afraid and Koushiro feels a uselessness in his fingertips, not knowing what to say. "I… I think it's the only way. You are… the angel of light… and maybe, maybe Takeru-kun will be able to hold it back somehow."

His mother's horror fills her face. Then she takes a deep breath, and calms. It is so quick, and simply so incredible that he has to stare, because his mother has always done this, all but once. And that once is special. So he keeps it to himself and watches her eyes narrow at the words on the screen.

"Koushiro… who does Takeru love?"

"Mom and Dad," the little boy answers before he can think and before Takeru seems to realize it either. "And Onii-chan." The words are not an afterthought, even Koushiro himself can feel it. But something in Yamato's face grows cold anyway and it is rather odd to watch.

"Those are the people Onee-chan loves too," Taichi says, his eyes fixed on her flight, only her movements from the side of swiping claws and lasers. "Mom… Dad… and me. Our families…"

"No," Jyou bites his lip. "You're their brothers. And you have Digimon."

_And a miracle needs to happen._


	5. 1-5

**_A/N:_**Hey guys! I really don't know why updates are being so slow, but I'll catch my groove eventually! I'm happy everyone's enjoying so far. And someone caught those similarities. I am actually keeping to canon relatively closely... aside from Hikari now being not herself and everything. So i did follow the prophecy! Let me know about Taichi and Yamato in this! They naturally will have a kind of different friendship than they did in the original, so let me know!**  
**

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

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1-5

"Wait a minute, wait!" Gabumon is the one who speaks up, the beast with more caution than the rest. "We can't just shoot fire at Taichi and Yamato!"

"For real, don't humans get crispy?" Gabumon shoots a glare at the scarred dinosaur, who only shrugs. Hey, it's the best reason he can think of! Agumon shrugs. "Well, I dunno, should we really be believin' the words that old man supposedly translated from some random prophecy outta nowhere."

"But all of it's been _right_," Taichi murmurs, his small hands clenched into fists. "The voices… the timing, VenomVamdemon, Nee-chan coming back… everything's been right!" His expression morphs into anger. "It's been messed up but right." He looks at Takeru. "So we gotta try right? Nee-chan would try… and I'm her brother." He stares at all of them at the same time and they are all stuck in a vivid limbo of how alike the siblings look when they've decided on something. "So… Ofanimon?" He turns to the angel. "I'm sorry if you don't want to, but please…" The little boy bows. "Help me save Onee-chan!"

Ofanimon doesn't blink, or at least it doesn't look like she can but then, her head creaks with a little nod. "Are… are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Takeru takes Taichi's hand and pulls him towards his brother, who is now looking confused and maybe even scared. "We can do it! We have to!"

"Takeru…" Yamato says as Taichi grins at him.

"Come on, Yamato-san, you're a man!" Taichi flicks his goggles. "Gotta show everybody your cool side."

Yamato snorts. "You're one weird kid. But…" He nods at his brother. "I guess I can't say I blame you, sister like yours."

"Hey!" Taichi snaps with a grin. "My sister is awesome! Now let's go so we can help her!" He sticks out his hand and Yamato shakes it.

"Whoa, are you guys serious?" Agumon says, raising his claws. "Are all humans as death-driven as you guys?"

The seven of them look at each other and laugh. "That's not it at all," Sora says. "We just have some people we want to protect…"

"Some things we want to change," Mimi adds with a shy tug at her hat.

"And some dreams we want to fulfill," Jyou finishes. "We're just… gonna go a bit crazy doing it."

"You are all nuts," Gomamon says. Then he grins. "I knew I'd rub off on you guys eventually."

"I'm not sure that's it…"

Takeru looks down at his Crest, at the thing that looks a bit like a toy he would buy with one of his action figures. "Hikari-san… you showed me I should have hope again… I'm going to do that right now! Watch me!" Around his neck, the Crest glows a soft gold as Ofanimon lifts herself to the air on tattered wings. Violet flames wrap around her hands and Gabumon cringes.

"Yamato…"

Agumon grabs the other Digimon's paw. "Let it go, man. They're goin' for it."

Taichi beams. "You bet we are!"

For a moment, the air is silent and as the fire rushes from Ofanimon's hands, Hikari giggles. Takeru looks up at her. His face is stern, and he gives her a nod. The light bursts from his Crest in a shower of gold around Taichi and Yamato, and the flames roar.

For a moment, no one can see, but Hikari laughs.

"A miracle will occur, indeed."


	6. 1-6

**_A/N:_ **You guys! I'm not dead! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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1-6

Yamato feels the arrow hit, and expects pain.

Indeed, it hurts, a pain like ice exiting his skin, a bursting blizzard of pain. But it also doesn't hurt. It's more like a nagging itch that doesn't know how to disappear and leave him alone.

Then he feels his Digivice somehow begin to sing. He doesn't hear it, for his ears are howling with a wolf, a wolf frozen in time.

The power then runs, no burrows, through his veins and out of his hands and suddenly he isn't blinded by white light but his body is sagging to the ground next to Taichi, who, despite the sweat on his face and the fact that his little body is wobbling, he looks purely exhilarated as he looks up at the sky.

From orange flames rise a metallic man, a dragon, and from blue soars a wolf. Their eyes are quiet, and somehow very old…

That Digimon doesn't feel like Gabumon at all.

It stands too proud on all-fours, too comfortable in midair and staring at the opponent that is in front of it. The red eyes are serene and also bloodthirsty and all Yamato can do is watch as it prepares to charge forward.

"Go," Taichi shouts, and their partners fly, charging towards VenomVamdemon with a chilling silence. In the sky, Yamato sees Hikari flip and dance away in the sky, scythe glittering in the light from her crimson crest. Her multi-colored eyes are almost glowing themselves, brilliant and cool. She lands on the ruins of a building, and simply watches, smile too big on her face.

The titans clash and a great gust rips all of them off their feet to roll nearly into a harsh piece of wall, but then the great wolf is there and pulling him down.

"Yamato!" the creature cries, and its voice echoes but the familiar worrying edge is there. "Are you all right? Yamato?"

"Ga… Gabumon?"

He sees the red eyes and the chill is gone, just that warm feeling that unmistakably his partner is there and Yamato feels his shoulders sag with relief.

"MetalGarurumon," the Digimon corrects. "I'm going to get up now!"

"Good, you're a bunch of bricks," he managed to mutter.

"Taichi, you cool?" Taichi's partner is dropping him to the ground and Taichi is just all smiles and looking like he enjoyed a roller coaster off the rails.

"Don't just stand there, WarGreymon!" the boy cries "Go, go get him!"

WarGreymon makes a snort of a laugh. "Yeah yea, noisy kid."

MetalGarurumon looks at him quizzically and Yamato nods. They are then gone again and there is a chill in the air as frozen missiles torpedo their way into VenomVamdemon's back and the Digimon roars.

It turns to look at them, at the feeble opposition in its way, and grins nastily.

"More power…" it croaks. "More strength… give it to me!"

Hikari suddenly screeches and then coughs, coughing until blood seeps through the gaps between her fingers.

All the while, VenomVamdemon glows and his eyes laugh behind the mask. "Venom Infuse!"


	7. 1-7

_**A/N:** _Oh god guys, I am really sorry. It is currently nearly the end of the semester and I was just swamped. I'm still swamped but I'm here to update this at least! Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Arc One is steadily coming to an end.

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1-7

WarGreymon rushes to throw an attack to hold back the iridescent laser and it works, just barely. He's pushed back, but the dragon is stubborn and angry and pushes it back. Taichi is right near him, pushing Wargreymon forward with his tiny body. It doesn't seem to be helping but it's comforting to have the kid close.

The attack ends and the two of them move out of the way. Taichi's gaze is back on his sister, whose hair is rapidly losing color with her skin almost see through but she turns her shrieks to laughter, beautiful, childlike laughter that ends with her righting herself in the air. The violet flames return, running to evaporate the blood on her hands.

"It can't be…!" Koushiro is carefully storing his laptop away, a feat that alone makes them turn to him in worry. "She was sacrificed… and Vamdemon returned as VenomVamdemon, so why would she still be being drained like that?"

Sora looked at Hikari, at her pale silver hair, and thinks she understands. "They're connected," she said as MetalGarurumon pushes off the ground, debris and building flying everywhere. Piyomon looks at Sora nervously and Sora smiles in return, if reluctantly. Her partner has a deep-set look of sorrow and determination at the same time and, as she looks around, they all do. Their partners know something, and they aren't going to say it.

But they're still going to fight.

"Okay," she says softly. "Go."

They all rush up as one, evolving too fast to see where they're going but what they're doing is clear. Ikkakumon's missile struck one of the eyes on his abdomen and he roared. Koushiro watched Hikari, who bobbed a little more unsteadily.

"Sora-san," he began. "Hikari-san is connected to VenomVamdemon, correct? Through her partner… what's going to happen when, when he-" He clamps his mouth shut, suddenly full of dread. The words are at the tip of his tongue but he can't let them go.

"We have to figure out how to beat him first."

LIttle Taichi stares up at the fight, watching WarGreymon appear to dance with fire at his claws, dodging the lasers. "All bad guys have a weak spot," he explains with the self-assurance of a young child. "All of them. That's how the good guy win."

"Especially if they aren't getting hurt," Takeru affirms. "We just gotta find it!"

Sora wonders if because they are the youngest, the two of them are simply able to deny the effects of reality. Or is it because they feel they can change it.

Then Takeru continues, very softly, not weeping, but soft. "If Hikari-san were down here instead of up there," he begins. "She would tell us to pulverize this creep and worry about the rest later. We can't save her if he's still around."

Taichi grins. "I like how you think!"

Sora is sure then, that it's the latter. And she hopes to god that the others are willing to think the same way. Because like it or not, the Digimon are fighting.

And they have to make sure they are winning, too.


	8. 1-8

_**A/N:** _Hey guys, it's finals week, so after this, I will start writing this again with gusto! I have been really out of it lately so I do apologize. After this arc, the dragging on will happen a little less. So sit bad, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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1-8

They are interrupted from their renewed sense of camaraderie by cries of pain. Their evolved partners have all been thrown back, crashing into buildings hard enough for them to shatter and disappear. Koushiro's mother looks on with fear in her face but rests her hand soothingly on her son's head. Sora realizes that this is the epitome of motherly acceptance: warning but not restricting. Only now did she recognize it and think of her own mother, who was-

No, her mother was alive. She had to be.

"Sora-san!" Takeru yelped and pulled her back as Birdramon hit the ground, orange feathers fluttering to hit the wall. "We have to focus, Sora-san!"

"Are you all right?" Birdramon caws and Sora nods, only to muffle a shriek as a rainbow laser comes towards them. Hikari flew down and spun her scythe, blocking the attack. She giggled.

"Are you even trying to dance along anymore?" she asks, glancing back at them. Her mouth is caked in red and Takeru cringes behind Sora a little, barely managing to look Hikari in the eyes. "You haven't found his rhythm yet. Find that, and he'll fall like the tower of Babel, struck down by holy wrath." She thinks slowly, thoughtfully, then gives a slash to the air that cuts into VenomVamdemon's torso and abdomen. It heals but not without a scream. The scream is from the wounded area, where Mimi looks and screams, turning away.

"There's a face!" she wails. "I saw a face in there!"

In horror movie fascination, they look up, and sure enough, something is squirming from the crotch area, malformed, three-fingered hands flailing out as a masked face makes its way out, screaming with a baby's screech and cursing, cursing the air.

"Are you telling me this thing could breed?" Yamato can't help but wonder, and Hikari giggles.

"Not quite," she says and MetalGarurumon howls, ice blue missiles flying from compartments all over his body. One strikes that face, and the creature's whole body writhes, screaming and howling.

Yamato feels himself smile. It isn't enough to kill him, but it's a good start.

Even when MetalGarurumon is knocked aside by a crimson hand, Yamato can't help smiling. They can do this. They can beat him. They can save Hikari. He owes her a punch in the face.

That's when his Crest begins to glow.


	9. 1-9

_**A/N:**_Okay, just a few more updates (which are much longer than this) then I can sink my teeth in fully to this again. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Sorry for all of the quiet!

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1-9

Their Crests fall into their hands, pulsing and glowing familiar, warm colors as they brighten, pillars of their light warping and bending into ropes that restrict VenomVamdemon, VenomVamdemon fires at the sky and for a moment, Takeru has a vivid memory of Devimon, restricted by their partner's desperate attacks, and the roars mix together and his head and he cries out a small sob.

"Takeru," Angemon croaks out softly, rising up again. "We can do this, Takeru."

Takeru nods. "Angemon, aim at that face!"

"WarGreymon too!" Taichi shouts and for some reason, the two boys grin at each other and slap high-fives.

Both Digimon rush to obey and Yamato calls out. "Hold on!" They look at him and Yamato finds himself grinning as Hikari holds up her crest to restrain VenomVamdemon's throat. "MetalGarurumon should freeze him first. We can't let him get away!"

MetalGarurumon seems to catch the other meaning and releases a great missile to soar and crash into the enemy. VenomVamdemon roars in pain and thrashes against the restraints, slashing at MetalGarurumon and knocking him into a wall. Yamato goes to his side to try and move off a piece of debris that had landed on his leg but to no avail.

VenomVamdemon lunges and manages to scrape Yamato in the back.

At first, shock belies pain, and it's only when he's hit the ground and Takeru starts screaming that his back is awash with hurt and blood. Jyou is running towards him and he feels MetalGarurumon howling his anger.

"Kill him," he shouts, despite the pain. "Kill that guy! Or-" He's cut off by the fact that he suddenly can't breathe and Takeru's hands are holding one of his. "Takeru," he wheezes. "Kill him."

Takeru nods and Yamato's vision blurs but he can still hear Takeru shout for Angemon and Taichi's energetic yelling. The air is full of fire and smoke and roars and then Yamato can't see anything at all. He sees white, then black, then nothing, as he passes out.


End file.
